How do you create the sequel for the number one game of all time? Well, you start by understanding what it took to make it number one in the first place. Players love their sims, players love to build and decorate, and players love telling stories about what they've created in the game. That was where we began with The Sims 2.

First, we needed a little of the Wright stuff. Will Wright, that is. Will had some definite ideas about where we should be taking The Sims 2. We then put together a team of veteran designers, producers, engineers, and artists--people who came from the original Sims and expansion pack teams. We needed people with an in-depth knowledge of the Sims simulator and behavior systems. Those people needed to have an intimate knowledge and understanding of the history of the franchise--a real grasp of what has historically worked and what hasn't. Most importantly, they needed to have the ability to put together and interpret all of gameplay feedback from everyone around them. Everybody considers themselves an expert on human behavior and, naturally, projects their own sensibilities onto the lives of their sims.

After assembling this crack team, we felt it was important to tap into the different stories that people tell about their life experiences. We had to determine how to deliver them in the game, since this is the essence of what gives us a game with universal appeal. In The Sims 2, everyone can find some part of it that they can completely relate to and emotionally connect with.